I Take It Back

by Liza James

  But you know what?

  Screw it. I’m all in.

  “Tyler. I’m a Junior here at Theta Chi.” He said it casually, moving to stand next to Logan and Savannah. He definitely wasn’t giving us a choice, he was joining our little group and his eyes continued taking in my little black dress.

  “How have I not met you before?” he continued.

  Stay cool.

  But before I could embarrass myself, Savannah answered for me. “We’re Sophomores, but haven’t come to Theta Chi until this year for parties. I’m Savannah, Emma’s best friend. And this is Logan, my boyfriend,” she stated, eagerly placing her hand in front of her, willing him to shake it.

  Tyler looked amused and perfectly content with Savannah’s quick explanation as he shook her hand. Logan nodded in acknowledgement, a smile on his face and, just like that the four us were inseparable for the rest of the night.

  Chapter 9

  I’m exaggerating when I say that Savannah and I had thrown back at least six shots each. I was happily buzzing and couldn’t stop laughing at every single thing. If I wasn’t drunk, I would have been mortified at my behavior, but right now? I was actually kind of loving this little let go fiasco. If I kept going at this rate, though, I was going to pass out in the next couple of hours. But as if he were reading my mind, Tyler was behind me, sliding an arm around my waist to help hold me up. He also had two glasses of cold water cleverly balancing in his other hand and was gently encouraging me to drink one.

  Instinctively, I took the glass and chugged it down, but really, I wanted to keep taking shots and dancing. I glanced around, looking for Savannah, and noticed she was on the couch, straddling Logan, and her hands were tangled up in his hair. They were making out as his hands explored every bit of that bright dress she had picked out for the night.

  “I’m fine, I promise,” I said reassuringly, meeting Tyler’s concerned eyes with mine. I had drunk enough quite a few times in my life to realize when I’d be sick, and I knew I wasn’t there yet. However, even though I hadn’t seen him drink more than a couple of beers, I could have sworn he was almost as drunk as Sav and I were. He must have been taking shots around the house when he left our little group every so often. He was definitely a social butterfly, that much I’d gathered pretty quickly. Different guys and girls stopped often when they saw him to give him a quick hug or fist pound.

  “You’re pretty freaking popular?” I poured myself my next shot. I looked up at him with an evil smile and poured a second shot for him.

  “Is that a question? Or a statement?” His innocent smile creeped across his face again and, just like that, I was giggling like a little school girl. I leaned forward and laid my hand on his chest, noticing the muscles straining underneath his tight cotton shirt. His hands slid around my waist and pulled me up against him in a hard, strong grip. I felt the warmth of his skin as his head lowered toward mine, and just when I thought he may try and kiss me, he leaned to the side and brushed his lips against my ear. “That dress is sexy as hell, I hope you know that.” His hot breath raised goose bumps across my neck.

  Damn, I couldn’t think straight.

  But honestly? I didn’t really want to. I wanted to let go tonight and do things I didn’t usually do. I wanted to make mistakes, have fun, get trashed and be a normal college student for once in my life.

  In a sudden burst of courage, I turned my head toward his, my gaze stuck on his pink, soft lips. I leaned in, pulling out every ounce of bravery in my body and, just as my hand slid up the back of his neck—

  “Bambi!” a voice yelled over the crowd. I snapped my head to the side and saw Cade quickly making his way toward us. A soft groan escaped my lips and Tyler tightened his grip around my waist, bringing me closer to his side.

  “What in the world do you want, Cade?” I slid my hand over Tyler’s, interlacing our fingers.

  Wait, what was I doing? Was I trying to make Cade jealous? Or was I actually crushing on this guy? Damn, I must be seriously drunk.

  Cade’s long, strong fingers wrapped around my elbow and pulled me away from Tyler, easily.

  “Cade.” Tyler’s voice was strong and stable, warning dripping from his lips as he stood up straighter and faced him directly. I glanced up to Cade and saw absolutely no fear or hesitation in his face. He welcomed the challenge from this guy.

  “Chill out, lover boy. I’ll bring her right back.” I couldn’t help but notice the slight annoyance lacing his tone.

  Cade dragged me to the other side of the house, backing me up against a wall in the far corner. It was quieter over here and we were officially out of sight from Tyler. Cade’s eyes were staring into mine, a quiet fire looming behind them. Just when his lips parted, as if he was about to say something, I noticed a small feminine hand sliding up over his shoulder. Her bubblegum pink, stiletto nails were dipping into the neck of his shirt and her face was coming up toward his ear.

  “Leave,” he said dryly without taking his eyes off of me. Both of his hands rested on the wall on either side of my shoulders, his thumbs brushing up against my skin. His voice was strong, confident, and there was no remorse for the girl he was shooing away. I looked at her face and was shocked by the hateful glare she was shooting me as she eased away in embarrassment. Bubblegum—my fitting nick name for her—was probably stabbing me with daggers in her eyes right now, but I shifted my attention back to what was really intimidating me.

  Thankfully my mind was still buzzing with alcohol, so the liquid courage I had was still pumping through me. “What the hell, Cade? You don’t even know me. What is that about?” I tried to use all of the anger in my voice to affect him.

  “You’re right. I don’t know you, but I know him, and I know you don’t need to be messing around with Tyler.” It wasn’t a suggestion, I could hear the command in his tone.

  Oh, hell no.

  “Yeah? And what do you know about him? Because from what I can tell, everyone else seems to love him,” I argued back. No one told me what to do. Especially not Cade-freaking-Davenport.

  But he laughed, he literally laughed a full, gut-wrenching laugh before his face turned serious again. “I don’t care what everyone else thinks they know. I actually know him, and I promise you, that charm he’s flashing isn’t real, Bambi.”

  “Em-ma. E-M-M-A. That’s my name,” I said, flatly, “and sorry, but you don’t get to tell me what to do. I’m having a damn good night tonight and you’re not ruining it.” I stumbled toward him as I tried to get away, but my foot hitched underneath me when I tried to break passed his arms. His large, strong hands were quick to catch me before I face planted here in front of everyone like the dumb drunk girl I currently felt like.

  My mind was reeling as I felt every inch of Cade pulling me up against him. The way his hands slid across my lower back, each finger pressing into the fabric of my tight dress. The feeling of his chest burning underneath my cheek was straining with his wide, corded muscles. His scent, one that I had found myself imagining since that chaotic night at the fight, woodsy and masculine, like a campfire was drifting through me. Before I knew what I was doing, I found my hands sliding down to his stomach, the curiosity searing through me about what his abs must feel like.

  And I was right. Even through his shirt, I could feel the rippling valleys and ridges of his six pack. But he was fighter, for goodness sake. What did I expect? A warming buzz bloomed in the pit of my stomach, spreading upward as time slowed down incrementally around us.

  Shit, was this how every other girl felt around him?

  Suddenly, I wasn’t so smug about the girl he shooed away when we were against the wall. I actually felt pity for her because I understood ... and I hated myself for it.

  I snapped myself back to reality and quickly pushed him away, refusing to look him in the eyes.

  “Bambi,” he called after me as I rushed back into the crowd, searching the faces for Tyler. He was safe, he was no strings, and he sure as hell didn’t make me feel the way Cade
did.

  Was that a good thing?

  I thought it was. Because then he wouldn’t be a distraction. He was just another guy at a party who was looking for something as casual as I was.

  Tyler was the safest bet, and I was ready for it.

  Chapter 10

  After a couple of minutes, I finally found him almost exactly where I left him. He was sitting against the counter, scrolling through his phone when I reached up and wrapped my arounds around his broad shoulders.

  As he lifted his head to look at me, his face instantly lit up with a smile. “I thought you weren’t coming back, honestly. There aren’t many ladies willing to snub Cade Davenport.” He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me up to him. His legs widened a bit for me to move in between and shift closer to him.

  “I’m not like many other ladies,” I said with a smirk on my lips and, just like that, I was back on the right path for tonight. I leaned up and, before anyone else could interrupt us, he leaned down and brought his lips crashing onto mine. He must have felt the urgency of this as well, because his hands were traveling all over my body, quickly and fervently.

  Our mouths moved together in unison, exploring each other as his tongue nudged my lips apart and made its entrance. He stood up and turned us so that my back was pressed up against the counter and he was pinning me in place.

  “God, you feel good,” he stammered in between shallow breaths. My body started reacting to him in ways I couldn’t explain. I felt the heat rising in my stomach, up to my cheeks and through my arms as I wrapped them up and around Tyler’s neck.

  “Let’s go,” I managed to say against his lips, hoping that tonight was going to be one for the books. This felt right ... right?

  Like it was the right moment with the right person in the right setting.

  Riiiiiight?

  Yeah ... yes. Definitely yes. I was going to give sex another shot and let go tonight.

  I could feel the smile on his lips as he broke our kiss and reached for my hand without a word. He turned and pulled me toward the staircase while I quickly took a scan of the room, looking for Savannah. I wanted her to know exactly where I was going to be if anything went wrong. She was in the back of the room, still mauling Logan, but we made eye contact as I moved up the stairs. A huge grin covered her face and she gave me a quick thumbs up before I went out of sight.

  As we headed down the hallway, a few more people gave quick hellos to Tyler, a few drunk girls even stumbled toward him. But he politely declined and kept his hand in mine until we reached one of the rooms on the right.

  “Is this your room?” I asked, suddenly curious about where exactly we were going.

  “Yeah, it is. It’s not huge or anything, but it’s home, if that makes sense. Well, as much as home can be when you live in a huge frat house.” He opened the door and guided us inside, closing it behind him when I heard the quiet click of the lock.

  Instinctively, a pang of warning shot through my stomach as I glanced down at the lock, then back up at him. He must have felt the immediate tension because he quickly added, “It’s only so people don’t walk in on us. Trust me, there will be seven different couples in a span of twenty minutes looking for a place to fuck. They don’t need to be bothering us.” He offered a gentle smile and reached his hand out in front of him, urging me to take it.

  That makes sense, definitely, I reminded myself.

  The nerves in my stomach subsided, and choosing to trust him, I reached out and took his hand as he led us toward the bed. I looked around the room and noticed that it looked exactly how I would have imagined a bachelor pad in a frat house looking like.

  The walls were covered in posters, some bands, some games, and some half-naked girls. There were clothes scattered in different places on the floor and text books left open with notes on his desk. I didn’t expect anything crazy, but I guess I didn’t expect it to be so underwhelming either.

  Come on, Em. Get your head in the right place.

  I didn’t care about what his room looked like. It was a one-night stand, a hookup, I was here strictly for the good sex.

  While I continued spiraling in my brain, I was abruptly distracted by the feeling of Tyler coming up behind me. His head dipped down and his lips were brushing up across my neck, kissing me until he came to my shoulder. His lips were soft and I immediately forced myself to relax into his touch. His hands shifted down, covering my hips as he pulled my back up against his front, and I could instantly feel his shaft thickening under his jeans. My head lulled to the side, giving him more access to my neck and I wasn’t sorry about it. Every second that passed allowed me to fall deeper into a care-free state and actually enjoy what was happening.

  I reached my hand up, sliding it around the back his neck, and pulled him farther down my chest while he continued his assault of soft, tantalizing kisses. A soft moan escaped my lips when one of his hands shifted to the strap on my dress. He slowly grasped it between his fingers and pulled it down my arm, giving him entry to my chest.

  I turned around to face him and our lips met again, continuing their exploration of each other’s mouths. He pushed me back on to the bed and reached for the bottom of my dress, grasping it and sliding his hands upward over my hips as he pressed into me, grinding his now incredibly hard cock against my core.

  Suddenly, my pulse started racing. The nerves were setting in and I was trying to keep my mind on track with what was happening ... with what I wanted to happen, damnit.

  But I was struggling. I was waiting for that instant, hormone-inducing passion that was supposed to overtake me. I was waiting for that feeling where I was dying to rip his clothes off and have his sex inside mine. That ache between my thighs wasn’t dominating my thoughts, though. Instead, I was scrambling through the what ifs and the what’s-wrong-with-me-in-how-I’m-feeling.

  Don’t get me wrong, though, the way he was kissing me felt good. The way his hands were sliding across my chest and massaging my breasts was fine, but that was it ... it was just fine.

  Not earth-shattering great, not magical or life-changing by any means.

  I kissed him harder, lifting my hips up to meet his thickness in hopes that I started feeling something. I even brought my hand down and started unbuttoning his jeans, reaching to stroke his cock through his boxers.

  But still, nothing.

  No fire, no heat, not even a damn campfire was lighting inside me anymore.

  “Fuck that feels good, keep doing that,” he mumbled as his head fell forward. His lips continued their pursuit down my neck.

  Shit, I didn’t know what I was doing.

  Did I stop this? Did I keep going?

  I wasn’t lying when I said this felt good, it did. But I knew for a fact there was no chance in hell I was getting off tonight, and once again this entire experience was going to leave me ... underwhelmed.

  But I decided to press on in hopes that I was wrong. I needed to be wrong about this. Tyler was definitely skilled in the sack, I didn’t doubt that. So, maybe there was a chance that I would be pleasantly surprised by all of this. Savannah once told me she hooked up with a guy who had magic fingers and made her come in like three minutes when he fingered her. Hopefully I was that lucky, too.

  I pushed against him, urging him to roll over so that I was on top. I grabbed his hand and brought it down between my legs. “Touch me,” I urged him, and he didn’t hesitate for a second before his fingers were pulling aside my panties. I was a little embarrassed that I wasn’t dripping wet down there, and I hoped he didn’t notice. If he did, he didn’t act like it in the slightest.

  His hand brushed up and down my sex and I ground myself against him. His fingers immediately found that sensitive place and began rubbing small, fast circles against it.

  Again, it felt fine, and I closed my eyes, trying my hardest to block everything else out. I needed to get my mind on the right track to climax. I pulled down his boxers and wrapped my hand around his thick shaft, gently pulling up and
sliding back down. My thumb slid across his head, where there was already moisture building, allowing an easier glide as I pumped him.

  His fingers travelled down to my opening, inching their way to sliding inside me. This was it, this would do me in. Please let this do me in.

  I was pleading with myself, focusing incredibly hard on having a freaking orgasm. So, when the sloppy moan slid off my lips as he entered me, he immediately took that as a sound of pleasure. But I mean, who could blame him? He had probably never been with someone so incapable of having an orgasm.

  “Fuck yes, baby. Keep stroking me like that, I’m going to come,” he said, and I found myself relieved at the words.

  This is almost over.

  As his finger kept sliding in and out of me and I couldn’t help but focus on how uncomfortable it actually felt. I wasn’t wet, not in the slightest, but I think he thought I was actually getting off to this. So, I did something I’ve never, ever done before. Something I wasn’t proud of at all.

  I fucking faked it.

  I arched my back, forced my breaths to come a little harder, and faked the worst, loudest moan of my entire life, hoping to God it was enough.

  But the worst part?

  He fell for it and the words he choked out as he came in my hand. “Give it to me, baby. Come for me.” Left me feeling like a fucking idiot.

  I quickly climbed off of him and rolled over to lie back on his bed. He turned to face me and the biggest smile on his face assured me that he definitely thought I just had an orgasm.

  “Well, you’re not the quiet one I initially thought you were, huh?” he joked, his hand coming to rest on my cheek.

  “Mmhmnm,” I said, mentally rolling my eyes at this entire stupid experience.

  So much for a fun night to let go.

  “You can crash here tonight if you want. I’m not sure where Savannah and Logan ran off to,” he said as he stood up and headed to his bathroom to clean himself off. I took that as the chance to check my phone, hoping Savannah was ready to head back to the dorms. My buzz had almost completely worn off by now and I knew I was going to feel like the biggest pile of shit when I woke up.